Connie Greene, Senior Vice President for the RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR), was honored with the Lifetime Achievement in Transformational Leadership Award from the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies. The award recognizes individuals who have made phenomenal contributions to preventing substance use and engaging individuals in treatment.
Greene has led IFPR since joining RWJBarnabas Health in 1993. Under her leadership, IFPR has become the largest provider of hospital-based recovery support services in the United States and the largest provider of free tobacco and nicotine treatment services in New Jersey. Her Prevention team has developed innovative programs including the DART Prevention Coalition of Ocean County, the PROUD Youth Prevention Network, the Mental Health Awareness Training Program, and the Communities That Care Program—all recognized for outstanding prevention awareness, education, and training work.
Greene’s initiatives focus on destigmatizing addiction, reducing barriers to care, and creating comprehensive continuum-of-care services. She spearheaded the Peer Recovery Program, which provides 24/7 peer recovery support across the state. As co-chair of RWJBarnabas Health’s Tackling Addiction Task Force, she helped launch initiatives including the Emergency Department Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Quality Metric, the Emergency Department Naloxone initiative, Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in Primary Care, and the Vivitrol for Alcohol Use Disorder pilot. She also serves as Chairperson of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services Professional Advisory Committee for Addictions and Vice Chair of the New Jersey Behavioral Health Planning Council. Greene holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the City University of New York and a Master’s in Management and Administration from Central Michigan University. She is a Certified Addiction Specialist, Certified Prevention Specialist, and Certified Social Worker.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.rwjbh.org/blog/2025/july/connie-greene-honored-by-new-jersey-association-/